Beautiful Baby Blues
by XiggyMatsu
Summary: Zoro visits a local restaurant and gets an intriguing show... Eventual SanZo/ZoSan. A part of the Sogeki Island Series
1. Smoking Hot

**Hey guys!**

**I know this isn't Crocodile Hunter chapter 4, but that _is_ almost done.**

**This fic is going to be mainly SanjixZoro since that is my absolute favorite pairing, but ZoSan will definitely be in it. (In addition to some of my other favorites...)**

**This was inspired by my obsession with Sanji's Japanese V.A. Hiroaki Hirata, and a character song he did called Sanji the Great Blue-Dessert wa Kimi**

**After listening to it the first time last week, I immediately thought of this and _had_ to write it down.**

**I hope you like it!**

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**Chapter One:** Smoking Hot

The dim lighting in the floating restaurant's lounge did wonders for the atmosphere; the candlelit tables casting a warm, sensuous glow on the patrons that sat enjoying the famously marvelous food of the renowned Baratie.

Among the couples that seemed to populate the late night crowd was a lone man who sat at the back of the room enjoying the scene. His abnormal green hair took on a darker color in the muted lighting and did not draw much attention from the other guests. Though it was his first time visiting here, Zoro had to give the creators of the touristy dinner boat some credit, they knew how to draw a crowd. Someone in the small band onstage played a mean jazz piano, but with their form obscured in the low light he had a hard time telling who it could be.

Zoro's friends Nami and Luffy had recommended the restaurant to him, having gone on several dates there before. He had heard of the typically rowdy restaurant through his work with the local law enforcement and they knew that he preferred more out of the way, quiet places; but this one had such a calm vibe in the evening Nami had insisted he would love it. Apparently their mutual friend Ussop was friends with one of the staff, a chef who was somehow related to the owner. Whoever this 'Sanji' guy was, he hoped to make friends with him as well if he could cook on the scale of the meal he had just eaten. A guy who knew his way around a kitchen was a total turn-on, especially if he was as good-looking as the red-head had insinuated.

Overall, he could tell why the woman loved this place, the food was spectacular and it was definitely suited for someone with expensive taste like Nami. She was lucky that she could afford this kind of upscale lifestyle even if Luffy's family wasn't loaded, being one of the best meteorologists in the world. He wasn't a slouch either, as he was relatively successful in his career as a detective. The meal had definitely been worth the visit and, despite the price, had proven to be the best food he had possibly ever eaten. He swirled his glass and downed the remnants of the alcohol that remained, grabbing his waiter moments later to request a glass of water; he knew he could handle his liquor, but he still knew the risks of driving home under the influence. With the ship back in harbor and closing time was drawing near, the tables began to empty while he nursed his water, though the band continued to play despite the dwindling crowd. He began to notice a few of the customers lingering as he was, but they had a sense of anticipation about them, like something special were about to occur. Soon his check came, but the voice of the person who delivered it drew him from his thoughts about what it could be.

"Thank you for your patronage," said the accented, velvety baritone that sent a shiver involuntarily down his spine.

He tore his gaze from the stage to the new face and felt a wave of shock dash through him. This guy had to be one of the most gorgeous men he had ever seen. He wore a pressed black suit that hugged his frame perfectly, the pinstriped shirt that poked out of the jacket a soft fuchsia which had a fine silk ebony tie threaded around the collar. The soft blonde hair that poured down across his face just so, the one sparkling blue eye that peaked out from the heavy lid, the full oh-so-kissable lips that held a cigarette that he was pretty sure shouldn't be allowed inside the dining area but filled out the image just perfectly. It was as if someone had taken all his secret favorite features from his fantasies and walked them over to his table. Zoro was focused on the scruffy goatee the man sported when the blonde quirked a curiously curled eyebrow at him.

And now he was walking away. Wait, _where the hell was he going_?!

As Zoro watched speechlessly, he took in the slight sway of the thin hips and found a new appreciation for well-tailored suits. From what the tight slacks told him, the blonde had the ass and legs of a god. The man crossed the room silently, but his appearance caused a stir in the room. The remaining patrons seemed to sit a little straighter, as if they had been expecting this man to show up. Zoro looked on in confusion as he took the stage, going quietly to the single microphone that stood toward the front which had seemed lonely in its spotlight up until now.

He half expected the enchanting man to announce the close of the establishment, but the queuing up of the band for a new song suggested something that made his heart flutter. As if answering his silent question, the blonde leveled a weighty gaze at him from across the room as the piano plucked out the first few notes of a sultry melody and seemed to smirk at his dumbfounded expression. The anticipation that filled the room in those few moments didn't even register in his mind as the man took the cigarette from between his lips and breathed out the first smoky lyrics:

"_Take my hand honey~ welcome to my romantic dinner. Be happy honey, just take it easy and relax…_" he reached a hand out to the crowd, and Zoro could swear the man was staring directly in his eyes as he sweetly sang. "_Taste my main dish, but don't forget-_" the green-haired man shivered in his seat as the blue eye winked at him, "…_your dessert~_"

The innuendo and flirtatious wink did a number on Zoro's pulse. He sat in frozen captivation as the band and the blonde continued, the lilting saxophone and snappy piano filling out the beautiful voice that ensnared his senses. He had never experienced tunnel vision anywhere but on the mat in his kendo dojo, but his focus on the seductive singer made him feel as if he had been challenged to a duel. His challenger gripped the microphone with one hand as he danced lazily in place while the sax player and bass had their way with a duet behind him. With the song drawing to a close, the music slowed and he took the mic off the stand, the wireless device allowing him to wander offstage.

The blonde waltzed slowly through the crowd, his presence causing several of the female patrons to become visibly flustered while he swept past them. He moved at a languid pace toward the last table before he entered the kitchen doors to Zoro's right, effectively drawing the spotlight and attention to his little corner of the restaurant. Instead of feeling irritation at the sudden intrusion, he felt hot as the singer ghosted past him, his teeth barely showing as his plush lips were pulled into a confident smirk.

The song dwindled to a close as he repeated the end to the opening lyrics in the same deep, sexy baritone, "_-don't forget your dessert…_" He raised his baby blues to meet the green-haired man's obsidian orbs and held the contact so intensely that Zoro felt as if he had been hit by a wave that gushed forth from the oceanic eyes. The connection was severed all too quickly as the well-dressed crooner passed into the kitchen entrance beside him, the whirlwind of his appearance and disappearance leaving the detective breathless.

He didn't recover from the shock until he realized that the rest of the restaurant had emptied and the busboys had come out to clean up. His fuzzy brain registered the band packing up their instruments and the looks from the remaining staff as it slowly occurred to him that he should probably vacate the premises. He looked around for his waiter after placing his credit card in the leather folder containing his bill that the intriguing singer had left in front of him. After a few minutes of awkward waiting a busboy came to his table to retrieve his dishes, and he asked the young man where to take his check.

"The wait staff always goes home when the last song plays, since most people have finished before he sings," the confused boy said, obviously startled that a patron had been forgotten.

Before Zoro got a chance to ask exactly who _he_ was, the scent of smoke struck him and he turned as a deep chuckle came from behind.

"Don't worry about it, kid, I've got this one covered. Go ahead and take those to the wash."

As Zoro turned to face the source of the interruption something within him stirred as he once again met the gaze of the mystery singer.

The young man that had picked up his plates nodded quickly and mumbled, "Right away, Mr. Sanji…"

Sanji? Why did that name seem familiar? He was hazy in more ways than one.

Zoro stood and faced the man that had affected him so fully with his mere presence, not wanting to allow himself to be overwhelmed any longer.

"So I suppose Nami-san sent you?" the blonde offered, allowing his voice a certain sickening fondness to the red-head's name.

The curious use of a Japanese honorific and the mention of his friend snapped Zoro completely out of whatever spell he had been under.

"Yeah, I suppose _Nami-san_ told me 'bout this place," he replied mockingly. "Said Ussop had a buddy on the staff, but I thought you were a cook?"

"One of the best damn cooks there is! That shitty old man couldn't run this hovel without me. I just provide a little extra entertainment when it's slow enough to let the kitchen shut down early."

Sanji seemed to be a little miffed about the insinuation that he was just on the payroll as a performer and Zoro's mocking tone. The green-haired man was a little taken aback by the course language the blonde had used, expecting him to have act a little more sophisticated. If anything, this made the charming man more interesting and now Zoro wouldn't have to worry about offending him with his own behavior.

"So are you the manager or something? That kid looked like he was about to piss his pants."

Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette while he moved to Zoro's table, picking up the bill and motioning the other man to follow. It took most of the man's willpower to pay attention to where he was going and not to the fine piece of ass that was sashaying about right in front of him. Despite his efforts, he failed to notice the blonde look at him over his shoulder and release a thin trail of smoke from between his smirking lips.

He brought Zoro to the counter and began to ring him up in silence and only looked the man in the eye when he pushed the receipt forward for him to sign.

"I'm actually head chef now, since the old man finally decided to put a leg up and just oversee things. But, in reality I'm also the manager, yes."

"Well aren't you special?" Zoro teased.

He glanced down at the paper that had been shoved across the counter as he reached for the pen. Hold on…

"Oi, Cook. You sure this is alright?" He motioned to the total, which was significantly lower than what it, by all rights, should have been.

"If Nami-san felt someone as obviously unrefined as yourself deserved to come here, I'm just going to charge you for the quality part of the meal. Call it a discount if you want, but I don't think you should be paying for what some of those other shit-bird chefs back there call food," he huffed, little wisps of smoke escaping as he spoke. "You did make some good choices, though. I don't get to make ratatouille very often and I had to rescue it from one of the new guys earlier, so you at least made the evening interesting."

Zoro bristled a bit at the unrefined comment, but ignored it momentarily as he realized, "_You_ made that? That was the only ratatouille I've had since I was little that tasted authentic!"

While the entire meal had been soul-melting, the simple French dish reminded him of the sweet elderly woman who had lived down the road from the dojo he had grown up in. He had never experienced anything other than Japanese cuisine before she asked him to help her around the house, so he had been pleasantly surprised when the foreigner decided to make a meal unlike anything he'd ever tasted for him as thanks.

"You want authentic French? Wait until you try my Daube de Boeuf. It's a type of stew made with beef, but it's also a great lamb dish," the chef's enthusiasm looked as if it had doubled at the mention of food. "I'm also quite skilled with Japanese cuisine, if you'd prefer."

Sanji must have picked up on his origin, despite his strange hair color and overall lack of an accent, just as Zoro had pegged him for a European immigrant from the slip when the blonde first spoke to him.

"You've been to Japan I take it?"

"Spent two years studying at a traditional joint in Kyoto, but had to come back to Hawaii when the old man decided to hang up his hat."

"So is this 'old man' your pops?"

"Well, no, not technically…" Sanji ruffled the hair at the nape of his neck. "Zeff raised me here after I lost my parents, though."

Zoro sensed that the blonde was holding back more than a few details, but he left it.

"Ah, I'm in the same boat. My sensei raised me in the dojo, now I don't remember my parents at all."

He smiled warmly at the enchanting stranger, not really knowing why he shared so much about himself, but wanting to dispel the embarrassment the other man had expressed while telling his own background. He had only really told Luffy about his life before coming to the States a while back at some bar he'd been dragged to over on Oahu.

"I'm Zoro, by the way, Roronoa Zoro," he said, pronouncing his name in his native dialect and extending the hand with his signed receipt over the counter.

Sanji raised a curled eyebrow, but took the hand into his and turned it just enough to lay a chaste kiss on the back of the detective's knuckles while glancing up at the rapidly flaming face through the heavy lashes of his visible eye.

"Enchanté, Zoro-kun, je suis Sanji Noir."

As the sultry blonde removed the paper from his grip, Zoro felt his simmering gaze all the way to his bones. The blonde's blatant attempt at flirting coupled with the evening's previous events prompted the green-haired man to do one more uncharacteristic thing. He quickly scribbled on his copy of the bill and ripped off the written portion.

"If you ever get time to yourself, Mr. Manager, maybe you could give me a ring," he smiled, laying his number down in front of the intrigued chef.

He turned to leave and was almost out the door when his phone played a few jazzy notes. He paused as the door closed behind him to check the text, smirking at the unknown number.

"_Au revoir_…"

Tapping "Save to Contacts" and entering the new information with one hand, he waved his other over his shoulder to the cocky blonde.

Inside the empty restaurant, Sanji watched the last customer of the day wander off onto the pier and smiled as his phone vibrated briefly in his hand.

"_I'm looking forward to the stew, Cook. _またね"

"_See you soon_, huh?" he thought as he blew out a cloud of nicotine heaven, grateful that his Japanese hadn't gotten rusty. "Maybe we will, Monsieur Marimo."

He laughed to himself at the fitting nickname as he locked up for the night.

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**-October 13, 2012-  
**

**So this will have more chapters later that will earn the 'M'**

**Thank you for reading!**

**As always, you can find me on Tumblr under xiggymatsu (or just search the tag Beautiful Baby Blues and I should pop up)  
**

**This is my oldest and most favorite pairing, so I've been nervous about writing one for it, but I really liked this idea and it sorta just flowed outta me.**

**I also have several other drafts started for my pairings:**

**One more AU SanZoSan (this one is a SciFi that occurs in space)**

**an AU LawxKidd**

**an IcebergxFranky + FrankyxRobin + IcebergxPaulie that happens in the OP world**

**a SanUso that's sorta on suspension 'til I figure out what I want to do with the story**

**and a School AU that will be mostly DoflaCroc but will feature several other pairings**


	2. Rise to the Occasion

**Hey guys!**

**First off, thanks for the responses!**  
**I was really overwhelmed with how many people read this and faved or reviewed.**

**Sorry I'm so slow, I'm working on this and Croc Hunter, plus the other fics I haven't finished the first chapters of.**

**I also started a ZoSan drabble series on my Tumblr, also xiggymatsu  
**

**Any and all of my fic related stuff can be found through the links on "My Fanfiction"**

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**Chapter Two: **Rise to the Occasion

Sanji woke early the next morning to his phone's loud rendition of _Jesse's Girl_. He groaned as he rolled over, mumbling a few explicatives in French while reaching for the device. In his groggy state he cursed whoever woke him before sunrise on his rare day off, not recognizing exactly what the ringtone implied.

" 'allo?" he murmured sleepily, irritation seeping into his unchecked accent.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sanji-kun, did I wake you?" exclaimed the voice of an angel.

Now fully alert, Sanji sat up in bed.

"Nami-swan! Not at all ma chérie, but to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your lovely voice so early in the day?"

"I just wanted to see if my friend ever showed up. You know, the green-haired one I told you about?"

Sanji chuckled a bit as his sleep-addled mind recalled the attractive patron with oddly colored hair.

"Yeah, the Marimo-head showed. He kinda drooled all over the place toward the end, though."

"Hmmm? So I take it you sang last night?" Sanji could feel her smugness emanating from the phone, "He never stood a chance… But, I just _knew_ you guys would click!" he melted a bit inside as she giggled lightly in his ear.

"Did you get to talk to him at all, or did you just sing his pants off?"

"Nami-san!"

"What? I can't just give my friends a hook up and not know how it went!"

"Well," he swallowed nervously, not entirely comfortable sharing this side of himself with anyone just yet. "We didn't 'hook up' _per se_…"

"What?! Did that idiot blow it?"

"No, no! We just talked," he smiled, remembering the bold move Zoro had made, "But he did give me his number." And then he had pulled an even bolder move by kissing the attractive Asian's hand. He could still see the blush on the taller man's face, "It was adorable, really."

"Zoro, adorable? Are you sure you had the right green-haired swordsman?"

_Swordsman?_ Sanji vaguely remembered the man mentioning Kendo.

"Green hair, dark eyes, three earrings on the right side?"

A smile that could make pants spontaneously combust?

"Hmm, maybe he was drunk…"

Sanji heard a sleepy mumble coming from the background.

"But Zoro _never_ gets drunk."

He bristled as he realized that if the man was there at this hour he had spent the night with the beautiful woman.

Nami hissed at the all too familiar voice, "Go back to sleep, I'll be back after work."

"But now I'm awake and I'm hungryyy-"

"I'm sorry, Sanji-kun. I have to go deal with an idiot of my own. I'll call you later."

He heard Luffy start to whine before she ended the call, "Ah! Is that Sanji?! Make me some fooo~"

He looked blearily at his phone in the dark after it cut off. Sanji scrubbed a frustrated hand through his unkempt bed head, wondering about life's great mysteries.

Like how he could find the girl he had once pined for and always felt himself unworthy of years later with some crazy buffoon, but not blame the goofy kid because he somehow suited the woman and made her happier than Sanji could say she had ever looked before.

He himself had gone through a period of soul-searching in the years since he had known her. Many things had changed, but he still felt a closeness to the woman due to their similar backgrounds. Both having been raised by foster parents in a new country, they had always shared a kinship.

Now that he was thoroughly awake, Sanji reluctantly got out of bed and showered. He grumbled a bit to himself about his lost chance at sleeping in, but soon found his thoughts returning to the intriguing man he had met the previous evening.

He had only recently started expressing any interest in men, but he had somehow found himself flirting quite easily with the stranger. Perhaps it was Nami's assurances that they would be a good match, or maybe it was just his previous experience flirting with women, but the attractiveness of the man had definitely been a factor. The blonde had been pleasantly surprised to find that the person his friends had told him about had been the same customer that ordered the nostalgic ratatouille that made his night. So what if he had indulged a little in his music, he'd gotten the guy's number!

As he toweled off, he wondered if he should be the one to establish contact. Just texting him would be alright, wouldn't it? He didn't want to sound desperate, but he also didn't want to let that…_hot_ piece of ass get away. Sanji stopped to look at the time as he walked out of the bathroom.

6:30, Oi…

Surely someone that worked with the police would be up by then? If nothing else, a text could always be returned later. He pulled on some underwear and retrieved his mobile from the bed.

When Zoro woke to a blaring saxophone he was ready to slice apart whoever had the balls to call him so early in the morning. The cacophonous jazz ended almost as quickly as it began, making him only slightly grateful that it was a message if just for the shortness of the tune.

He unplugged his cell from its charger and grunted as the bright screen momentarily blinded him. As he squinted at the name on the message, he felt his heart rate increase and his grogginess leave him.

No way, no freakin' _way_…

His bumbling fingers had to tap the screen several times before he got the text to open, but he held his breath the entire time.

"_Good morning, Monsieur Marimo…_" Zoro read on, rolling his eyes at the nickname. "_Hope I didn't disturb you, Nami-san called me not too long ago and now I can't go back to sleep, lol_."

He wondered briefly at what the witch could have wanted so early, and couldn't help but feel jealous that her voice was the first the blonde had heard that morning.

He had to sit up to type, head slightly reeling from the unexpected message. He had worried last night that he might not be able to wait to talk to the attractive blonde and had no idea what amount of time was appropriate for establishing contact without looking needy.

He pressed send and hoped that Sanji would want to keep talking.

Wandering into his kitchen, the cook nearly had a heart attack when his text alert went off, not having anticipated such a quick reply. His hand flew into his pocket to see what the other man had to say.

"_Well you woke me up, but that's alright. You off too, cook?"_

The blonde felt a bit bad for waking the man, but had a crazy idea. Hopefully not _too_ forward.

After sending the next message, he sought out a cigarette to calm his nerves.

Zoro stared at his phone with a dumbfounded expression.

Holy hell, this guy was gonna kill him.

"_If you're not busy today, want breakfast?"_

The only response that popped into his head was equally brash.

Sanji chuckled around his nicotine stick as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

That moss-head, asking him to cook… He probably just wanted to know where he lived.

As he peeked into his refrigerator, he felt like dancing. Making a meal for someone he was interested in never failed to make him giddy. Zoro had already tried his cooking at the restaurant, but this time they would be dining together. He gathered up a few things and started in on what promised to be an interesting meal.

Meanwhile, a certain Japanese man was firing up his car's GPS. When he had half-jokingly sent "_Only if you make it_" he had hardly expected the man he barely knew to send him his address.

He was secretly thankful that the department had insisted on getting him the device, despite the fact that they had so rudely pointed out that they were tired of him being late to everything from getting lost. Smoker wasn't exactly one for delicacy, especially when dealing with people's feelings.

Zoro waited while the map adjusted to the route he needed and backed out of the driveway of the rent house he shared with Luffy. Not that the raven haired boy ever really stayed there anymore, but all his stuff was still in the second bedroom. In reality, Zoro and Luffy could both afford their own places and they had just lived together for the convenience.

As he got closer to the location the message had said, he recognized just how close the blonde was to the restaurant.

He practically lived on the wharf!

He pulled up in front of the nicer beach condos and let out a low whistle. The swordsman felt a little ratty in his t-shirt and cargos. Zoro locked up his car and wandered down the drive hoping that the cook wasn't just messing with him and that he would actually be welcome.

Having just put the finished touches on the omelets, Sanji's heart began to race as the doorbell rang.

He set the egg creations on the table next to the toast and bacon and anxiously smoothed his shirt while he went to invite his guest in. He saw Zoro outside through the living room window, shuffling his feet on the stoop and looking as nervous as he felt. He breathed in deeply and let out a heavy sigh before going to the door.

Zoro gasped quietly when the blonde appeared in the doorway wearing dark jeans and a half-buttoned shirt. The muscles that peeked out from beneath the loose fabric drew his attention and made his face feel a bit warm.

"Hello again," the blonde said cheerily, beckoning him inside. "Hope you like omelets."

Zoro looked around dumbly as he stepped inside, quickly taking in all he could see of the spacious home.

"Whatever's fine, I'm sure whatever_ you_ make is delicious."

He mentally slapped himself for sounding a little too enthusiastic.

Sanji hid his flustered smile as he led his visitor to the dining room, grinning wider at the face Zoro made when he saw the spread he had prepared.

"What, were you cooking all morning?!"

"Nope, just since you texted." He pulled out a chair for his guest. "You want coffee, or tea, or…?"

Zoro sat and eyed the heap of bacon on the plate nearest him, his stomach growling audibly.

"Do you have green tea?" he said, trying to ignore the knowing look Sanji gave him.

The blonde beamed, "Help yourself, I'll be right back."

The swordsman turned his head to watch his host go, staring unabashed at the seat of his tight pants. He loaded his plate with some bacon, one of the omelets, and a couple pieces of toast. He ran out of room on the dish before he realized he hadn't gotten anything from the fruit bowl or even any hashbrowns.

He had already cleaned off the omelet and had gotten some of the missing two when the cook returned. Sanji held a couple of coffee cups and a steaming pot of fresh brewed tea, having elected to join the asian man in his drink.

"I'm glad I stocked up a while back, I was almost out of leaves."

He set down the cups and started to pour as Zoro tried to swallow his mouthful.

"You brewed that fresh?" Sanji nodded and he had to smile, "It's been a while since I had anything other than the bags."

Sanji melted a bit inside at the warm smile he received, "No problem, you can come over for tea anytime."

The detective smirked and raised the cup to his lips. He pointed a finger from behind his tea "I might hold you to that."

He couldn't help the appreciative groan as he swallowed the first refreshing gulp, fully enjoying the delicious nostalgia. It was as good as or better than the cups his sensei's wife would sometimes bring him when he was training.

"So, do you often invite strangers over?" he said as Sanji sat and started to make his own plate.

The blonde scoffed, "No, I just thought that Marimo head of yours could do with some feeding."

Zoro raised an eyebrow, feeling a little competitive.

"I thought you might be trying to seduce me by showing off your skills."

Sanji smirked around his eggs as he swallowed.

"Heh, if I were using my 'skills' to seduce you, you'd be toast."

He punctuated his statement his statement by biting into his toast.

Zoro choked on his strawberry, scowling as the cook chuckled.

"Har, har shit-cook."

Sanji pointed a butter knife at him, "Hey, watch who you call shitty, shit-head."

"_You_ watch who you point a knife at. I know more about blades than most care to know."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Kendo was it? Are you decent fight?"

"Hell yeah. Do you spar?"

Sanji gave him an 'are you serious' face.

"If you must know, I'm a master of the Red Leg Style, so I could probably bust your metal toothpick with one shoe."

Zoro's eyebrows ran up his face at the challenge.

"What about _three_? I doubt your fancy little shined up shoes would protect you, blondie."

The cook finished his food and looked at the swordsman, eyes flashing.

"You wanna go at it?"

Zoro knew what he meant, he was fired up now too. But his mind went straight to the gutter.

"See, you _were_ trying to seduce me." He set his fork down on his equally empty plate. "You got a place in mind?"

The bedroom?

The cook's mind was no cleaner, but he pushed down the desire to make a lewd comment.

"There's a gym a couple blocks over. Aren't you gonna need swords?"

Zoro smirked, "I think I'll try my luck hand-to-hand first," he really hoped the blonde was as good of a fighter as his confidence showed. "That is... hand-to-foot."

"You're gonna get your ass handed to you, you cocky bastard," Sanji said in defense of his pride. He stood, balancing the empty plates like a true professional, and began to move toward the kitchen.

"D'you need any help with those?" Zoro offered, figuring he owed the blonde for the free meal.

"Uhh, sure? It's just a few dishes though."

"That's alright, I can dry 'em off or something."

They moved into the kitchen together and Zoro could see that the cook didn't skimp on the equipment.

"Is that a cappuccino machine?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I've just never seen one outside a coffee shop."

Sanji put the dishes in the sink and opened the tap.

"Well, somethin's gotta wake me up in the morning."

The green-haired man leaned against the counter and cocked an eyebrow at him.

Too easy.

"Well, if there's a position open…"

Sanji laughed and elbowed him playfully, "You wish you were that lucky, asshole."

Zoro grinned and grabbed a dish towel off the rack next to the sink, waiting for the cook to hand over the first plate.

"So, how do you know everybody? Ussop said he knew you from college, but I guess you met Nami then too?"

"Well, Nami-san was my Japanese tutor. I knew I wanted to study Japanese cuisine so I took a few courses and, uh… Let's just say I _needed_ the help."

Zoro laughed, then a thought struck him.

"Wait, so you learned it from Nami?" Sanji nodded, looking at the man quizzically as he scrubbed. "I'm the one that taught _her_! She wanted to be able to train with the typhoon people in Japan."

Sanji stared at him in shock as it sank in.

"So I… vicariously… learned from _you_?"

They looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.

Zoro set down the last dish Sanji handed him and hung up the towel as the cook rinsed out the basin. He watched as Sanji put away the plates, loving the fluidness in how he moved. It spoke to him of experience not only in the kitchen, but also in martial arts.

Every motion was calculated, but honed in such a way that was now second nature to the man; seemingly effortless. He could feel how powerful the blonde was from the strength that emanated from him like an aura. He couldn't wait to spar with him.

"Hey," he said, getting the cook's attention, "How far did you say the gym was?"

Sanji put away the last dish and turned to him with a smug grin, "What, can't wait to get me hot and bothered?"

"Yea-No!" Zoro cursed inwardly at his slip, gritting his teeth as he felt his cheeks heat at the growing smirk on the cook's face. "I just felt like testing you out."

"Oh?" Sanji approached him slowly, a lazy threat in his movements like a large predator stalking it's next meal. "So there's a test? And here I haven't studied…"

He drew out a cigarette and let it hang loosely from his lips as he lit up, shooting Zoro a look that made _him_ hot and bothered. Sanji slipped past him, making his way toward the front hall as he called over his shoulder.

"I must tell you that I'm looking forward to the oral exam. I guess I'm just 'hot for teacher'."

Zoro wasn't sure how he was going to survive around this guy much longer, but he was sure as hell gonna put up a good fight.

"A punk kid like you might just end up in remedial classes, Mr. Noir." he said, chasing after the intriguing man.

"Looking forward to it, _Roronoa-sensei_~"

* * *

**-December 1, 2012-  
**

**Yeah, so...**

**SO MUCH INNUENDO**

**If you guys knew me in real life, you would understand how much innuendo spews forth from my mouth on a daily basis.**

** Sanji is my baby and apparently my Spirit Animal  
**

**Reviews are always welcome (and deeply appreciated)! If nothing else, talk to me on Tumblr~**


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